1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a front structure of a vehicle, and more particularly to a structure of a part of a vehicle body connected to a cowl box extending along the lower edge of the windshield.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a car, especially a passenger car, is provided with a cowl box along the lower edge of the windshield in order to introduce fresh air into the passenger compartment. As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 58(1983)-99109, the cowl box typically has bottom and rear faces defined by a dashboard upper panel and a front face defined by a cowl front panel. The dashboard upper panel has a flange on the upper edge thereof and an upper member for holding the windshield is connected to the flange. Typically, to the upper member is connected an end of a lower member extending in the transverse direction of the vehicle body along the upper member, and the other end of the lower member is connected to a vertical wall of the dashboard upper panel so that the rigidity of the windshield holding portion is increased.
In a typical front-engine type vehicle, an engine compartment is generally formed in front of the cowl box. It has been pointed out that, in the conventional front structure of the vehicle body, in a collision the windshield is apt to become disengaged from the upper member. That is, when the engine in the engine compartment is forced rearward by a collision, pushing the dashboard upper panel to the rear, the upper member holding the windshield is moved rearward along with the dashboard upper panel, whereby the windshield is disengaged from the upper member and is broken. This is undesirable from the viewpoint of the safety of the occupants.